According to earlier reports, Dutch Economic Minister Micky Adriaansens announced on November 19 the suspension of administrative measures against ON Semiconductor. However, this suspension failed to quell controversy over the government's prior handling of the matter, leading to parliamentary questioning two weeks later.
During a late-night hearing on December 4, Minister Adriaansens faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers regarding her handling of the ON Semiconductor case. Over several hours of questioning, her decisions were criticized as "reckless," "hasty," and "unprofessional," with legislators demanding why she failed to anticipate China's countermeasures.
Adriaansens responded, "We had assessed potential countermeasures, but China's specific response wasn't among the most likely scenarios we anticipated."
The controversy stems from the Dutch government's forced "takeover" of ON Semiconductor in late September, which sent shockwaves through global automotive supply chains. On October 4, China announced export controls on ON Semiconductor, prohibiting the export of Chinese-manufactured components and finished products.
The minister conceded during the hearing that China's export suspension caught her administration completely unprepared.
Reuters noted that European automakers—precisely the entities the Dutch government sought to protect—have become the primary victims of this fallout. Lawmakers questioned whether more diplomatic approaches or prior European coordination might have yielded better results.
The ON Semiconductor dispute has exacerbated global automotive chip shortages, with manufacturers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan all reporting supply crises.
Defending her actions, Adriaansens argued that any advance disclosure of intervention plans would have accelerated technology and production capacity transfers. "We were operating under severe time constraints with inherent coordination risks," she stated, adding that the order successfully "prevented Europe's dependence on non-European suppliers for critical legacy chips... in that regard, the objective was achieved."
Her justification has raised fresh doubts about the government's preparatory work before implementing the measure. Parliamentarian Laurens Dassen, who initiated the debate, told Reuters, "All indications suggest the minister chose to act unilaterally."
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